The procession of islands, islets and reefs that form the remote Western Isles, off Scotland's northwest coast, boasts some of the most wild, beautiful and contrasting landscapes in Britain.
Turbulent seas boil around dramatic coastlines and here hardy islanders still pursue the age-old activities of crofting, fishing and weaving.
Each Hebridean island retains its own special character, from Lewis' heather-blanketed rolling moorland with its scattering of small grey cottages to Harris, land of high mountains, with an interior moon-like landscape.
On Skye the stark rise of the jagged Cuillin ridge drops to a surprising soft sand beach. Here, it seems, time has stood still and the splendid isolation means that wildlife and nature have been able to flourish.
We discover mysterious ancient stones, learn some Gaelic, sample a dram or two of whisky, scour the skies for elusive golden eagles, and learn about the bloody history of this part of Scotland, which sent so many islanders to the New World to forge a new life.
